The purpose of the Japanese Sai weapon was debated about for a long time. Some people thought the weapon was intended for just that purpose, to be a weapon.

But other people theorised that the Sai was made as an agricultural too to measure crops, to bale hay, to hold rolling carts in place or to plant rice.

The Sai is a dagger shaped fork with two prongs that are usually curved and project out from the hilt of the weapon.

The Sai is sometimes used as a training weapon in the martial art Jujitsu. In Jujitsu the practitioners focus on the forms of certain movements and sometimes add in a weapon for aesthetic flair. The Sai is often used in kata and form. The tip of the weapon is often dulled or blunt as to not hurt the opposition.

The unique shape of the Sai, with the two pronged hilt, has the advantage during combat as it can trap the opponents weapon in these prongs and disarm them. Even weapons as large as a long sword can be disarmed. The Sai is also a very good weapon for defensive moves. The Sai is a very versatile weapon and is probably best used by those who are very agile.

The Sai in Popular Culture

In popular culture, the Sai has been featured in many movies. The comic book, super hero character Elektra used a pair of Sai as her weapon of choice, and Jennifer Garner certainly looks the part, so long as she doesn’t act, speak or move. Other notable Sai advocates include Gabrielle, the character from Xena, Raphael the Turtle and the Neo in The Matrix Reloaded.

lol! Yes it was a horrible movie, HOWEVER. It revitalized the sai, not only in training but also in competitions. My daughter’s primary weapon is the sai, as well, and from an entertainment value, she loves Elektra. From a technique angle, she loathes it. lol It was TMNT’s Raphael that turned her onto the sai. lol
I’m just glad that there is a movie out there with a strong female martial artist in it, that an American audience can understand. Yay Marvel!

Welcome to Japanese Jujitsu .org - a website dedicated to the subject of Jujitsu and wider martial arts for instructors, students and anyone else interested in learning more.

Jujitsu, also known as Ju Jitsu, Ju Jutsu, or Jiu-Jitsu, originated in feudal Japan and was a perfect unarmed compliment to the armed combat of the Samurai. Jujitsu translates as 'the gentle way' or 'the way of compliance' but it is far from ineffective. Jujitsu techniques do not rely on strength; they rely on an understanding of the human body, physics and center of gravity to achieve devastating punches, kicks, locks and of course throws.